Degerminator

ABSTRACT

A degerminating machine having a screen casing within which a degerminating roll is rotatably mounted. The roll has a plurality of teats on its outer periphery with the teats aligned in helical rows extending along the length of the degerminating portion of the roll. Corn kernels fed into the machine at one end are cracked by the teats and the germs and fines are passed through the screen while the coarse starch material is discharged from the other end thereof.

United States Patent 1 1 3,603,365

[72] Inventor Roscoe M. Bess [56] References Cited Paris UNITED STATESPATENTS 7 ti: 35 2 1970 287,370 10 1323 Ewan 146/308 X i g Pawmcd p 72,108,6e5 2/1938 Dempsey .1 146/302 X [73] Assignec lllinois CerealMills, Inc. Primary Examiner-Willie G. Abercrombie Paris, 111. A!r0rnevStrauch, Nolan, Neale, Nies & Kurz ABSTRACT: A degerminating machinehaving a screen cas- 154] EE E F SQ B ing within which a degerminatingroll is rotatably mounted. rawmg The roll has a plurality of teats onits outer periphery with the (52] US. Cl. 146/279, teats aligned inhelical rows extending along the length of the 146/281. 146/302, 146/308degerminating portion of the roll. Corn kernels fed into the [51] int.Cl BOZb 3/06 machine at one end are cracked by the teats and the germs[50] Field of Search 146/279 H, and fines are passed through the screenwhile the coarse starch material is discharged from the other endthereof.

PATENTEDSEP (I971 3,603,365

' sum 1 or 3 INVENTOR.

ROSCOE M. BESS ATTORNEYS PATENTEDSEP 7197: 3,603,365

SHEET 2 UF 3 INVENTOR.

ROSCUE M. BESS @hv/WM,

ATTORNEYS PATENTEU SEP 7 I97! SHEET 3 BF 3 INVENTOR.

ROSCO'E M. BESS WCQM A T TOR/VE YS DEGERMINATOR BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION This invention relates generally to degerminators used in cornand cereal mills and more particularly to an improved degerminator usedto break and hull corn kernels and remove the germ therefrom in a moreefficient manner than heretofore possible, thereby desirably providing ahigher yield of whole, uncracked germs and starch products and a loweryield of feed products or fines.

Degerminators such as that illustrated in U. S. Pat. No. 2,108,655,issued to H. C. Dempsey have been known and used for quite some time inprocessing corn kernels to break and hull the corn and remove the germtherefrom. Degerminators of this type generally include a degerminatingroll having a plurality of teats randomly arranged on its outerperiphery and a casing surrounding the roll to provide an annularpassage therebetween for the corn material to be treated. The casinggenerally has a plurality of teats which oppose those on thedegerminating roll and cooperate therewith to break and grind the cornmaterial. The casing also usually has a limited screen area to permitpassage of fines of a predetermined size from the casing.

Basically, three types of products are produced by such degerminators,the germ of the corn which is emitted from the corn kernel after it iscracked, the coarse, tailstock starch products which eventually are usedin preparing cereals, foods, beer, etc. and the fine thrustock productscommonly used as feed for animals.

During the degerminating process, it is desirable that the germ removedfrom the cracked hull be maintained in a whole condition and not becracked or disintegrated into the corn products, since it is the germwhich contains the oil, the product which is the most valuablemonetarily to a miller. The whole germ is removed from the degerminatoralong with the fine thrustock material and subsequently separatedtherefrom, after which the germ is dried and squeezed to extract theoil.

Similarly, the coarse starch products are worth more in terms of profitthan the fine tailstock products.

Hence, for optimum efficiency, the degerminator should be capable ofcracking the corn to remove the germ in a whole condition. The germshould not be ground or disintegrated into the starch and feed productssince this would undesirably release the oil into these products andwould reduce the overall oil yield of the corn. In addition, while thecorn is to be cracked, the grinding and disintegrating action within thedegerminator should be minimized, since such action reduces the yield ofcoarse tailstock products and produces an excessive amount of fines orthrustock, the least valuable product of the degerrninating process.Furthermore, an excessive amount of fines tends to plug up thedegerminator and thereby reduce its overall operating capacity.

Another important consideration is the fat content of the starch andfeed products. If the germ is broken during the degerminating process,the oil is released into these products. Thus, not only will the oilyield be reduced, but the starch and feed products will have anundesirably high fat content resulting from the oil absorbed therein.

Known degerminators such as that illustrated in the Dempsey patent havenot satisfactorily fulfilled the requirements noted above and generallyhave produced an excessive amount of grinding and crushing of the cornand breaking of the germ. This has resulted in an undesirable high yieldof feed products and low yield of oil and starch products. In addition,because of the high yield of feed products, the capacity of the machinehas been limited, and due to the breaking of the germ, the starch andfeed products have possessed an undesirably high fat content.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION of operating at a high capacity while producingboth a higher oil and starch yield and a lower feed yield than waspossible with known conventional degerminators. I

Another object resides in the provision of a novel improved corndegerminator comprising a rotatable roll having a plurality of teatsformed on its outer periphery and a stationary screen of predeterminedsize surrounding the roll in closely spaced relation to the teats, withthe teats beingpositioned and located to form a plurality of helicalrows of teats and paths therebetween which extend along the length ofthe degerminating portion of the roll. As the roll rotates, the teatscrack and hull the corn kernels to release the germs therefrom, whichdue to the large screen area surrounding the roll, are more quicklyremoved from the degerminator in a whole condition. In addition, thehelical arrangement of the teats provide a high capacity degerminator bypositively feed ing the corn toward the outfeed end of the rollfromwhich the tailstock products includingthe coarse-sized starch productsand tailcorn (uncracked corn) are discharged. Any fines created by therotating roll are quickly discharged through the large screen area anddo not have an opportunity to plug up the degerminator and reduce thecapacity thereof.

Still another object resides in the provision of a novel degerminator asdiscussed above in which the discharge end of the roll has an endsection on which a plurality of axially extending teats are formed andthe end-closure plate of the casing for the roll has a plurality ofteats opposed to those on the end section of the roll. The closure platehas a gate-controlled discharge opening positioned above the axis of theroll so that, as the roll rotates, the tailstock products are polishedby the cooperative relative action of the opposed end teats as theproducts are delivered to the discharge opening.

A further objection resides in the provision of a novel degerminator asdescribed above in which the degerminatingroll includes a plurality ofseparate replaceable roll sections on each of which the teats arepositioned to form a plurality of helices. The roll sections areassembled together so that the teatslare aligned in helical rowsextending along the length of the roll.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from reading thefollowing detailed description of a preferred embodiment of theinvention with reference to the accompanying drawings in which likeparts are indicated by like numerals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a general perspective view ofthe novel degerminator of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partially fragmented front elevation view of thedegerminator shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partially fragmented top plan view of the degerminator ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the tailstock discharge end of the degerminatortaken generally along line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 illustrates the degerminator roll with only a number of teatsbeing shown sufficient to illustrate the helical arrangement of theteats along the roll; and

FIG. 8 is an end view taken along line 88 of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings, thedegerminator 10 is mounted on a frame 12 including a pair of spacedelongated angle iron members 14 and 16 each supported by a pair of legs18 and 20 from a floor or other suitable platform 22.

Degerminator 10 comprises a roll 23 (FIG. 7) fonned by degerminatingportion 24 including a plurality of separable cylindrical sections 26,28, 30, and tapered sections 31 and 32. The roll also has a feed portion25, which includes screwfeed sections 33 and 34. All the roll sectionsare keyed on shaft 36 for rotation therewith, and should one of thesections become worn, it may be replaced without replacement of theentire roll. The shaft is mounted on bearing blocks 38 and 40 which aresupported from the transverse plates 42 and 44 that extend betweenmembers 14 and 16. Shaft 36 may be rotated by a belt driven motor system(not shown).

A plurality of teats 46 is formed on the outer periphery of each of theroll sections 26, 28, 30, 31, and 32 in closely spaced relation and insuch a manner that the teats are aligned in longitudinally extendinghelical rows to form helical paths of movement for the corn betweenadjacent rows of teats as shown in FIG. 7. The-size of and spacingbetween teats 46 are selected to provide an optimum compromise for amixture of 40 to 50 hybrid corns of various sizes and characteristics.

End-roll section 26 is also provided with a plurality of teats 47 on itsend face, with the teats being closely spaced and generally arrangedaround concentric circles on the end face.

As discussed below, the circumferential angle a through which eachhelical row of teats extends around the degerminating roll portion 24 isvery important toward obtaining optimum capacity and performance of themachine.

The feed-roll sections 33 and 34 at the infeed end of the machine areprovided withhelical vanes to rapidly feed the corn into thedegerminating-roll sections.

A stationary casing 48 surrounds roll 23 and includes separable upperand lower perforated mating-screen sections 50 and 52 supported ronanglemembers 14 and 16 by end brackets 54 and 56. The screen sections extendsubstantially throughout the length L and conform to the shape of rollportion 24 and are closely spaced from teats 46. At the infeed end ofthe machine, each screen section is connected to an imperforate housingpiece 58 to which brackets 56 are connected and within which feed-rollsections 33 and 34 are received. The end-housing piece 58 for upperscreen section 50 is provided with an opening 60 through which thekernels of corn are fed into the machine onto feed roll sections 33 and34.

At the outfeed end of the machine, screen sections 50 and 52 areconnected to end plates 62 and 64, respectively, and support brackets 54are connected to the end plates. Upper plate 62 has a recess which formsa generally rectangular opening 66 above shaft 36, the openingpermitting discharge of the coarse tailstock products from the screencasing. A gate valve 68 is connected to end plate 62 and may be adjustedto control the rate of discharge through opening 66.

The interior faces of end plates 62 and 64 are provided with teats 47which cooperate with the opposing teats 47 on the end face of rollsection 26 to polish the tailstock products which are discharged throughopening 66.

A removable semicylindrical cover 70 rests on frame members 14 and 16and completely encloses the upper screen section 50.

Lower screen section 52 is enclosed by a bottom chute or receptacle 72connected to frame members 14 and 16, the chute 72 receiving thethrustock material discharged through the perforations in screensections 50 and 52.

It is understood, of course, that the size of screen sections 50 and 52is dependent upon the specific corn or mixture of corns being processedand will be changed to gain optimum efficiency for various types of cornwith which the machine may be used. Basically, the size of the screen isdependent on the size of the corn kernels and should be sufficientlylarge to pass the germ of the corn and a predetermined size of fines.

Another chute 74 connected to frame members 14 and 16 is disposedadjacent the discharge end of the machine so that its upperopenerldreceives the coarser tailstock material which will not passthi'oughscreen sections 50 and 52 and is, therefore, dischargedthrough endopening 66.

In operation, the degerminator roll will be rotated at a speed of about900: rpm. Corn kernels are delivered intothe degerminator throughopening 60 and are rapidly passed by feedrollsections 33 and 34 into theannular area between the degerfminating-roll portion 24 and screensections 50 and 52.

The helical; rows of teats 46 then positively feed the corn towardthedischarge end. As the roll rotates, the teats 46 strike the corn,thereby cracking and hulling it to release the germ therefrom, with mostof the com-cracking being done by roll sections 30, 31, and 32. Theseroll sections also produce an increased volume of products due to agrinding action on the cracked hull and starch products by the teats asthey pass through the material and sweep it around screen sections 50and 5 2.

The proper sized screen sections 50 and 52 permit the whole uncrackedgerms and fines of a preselected size to pass into collection chute 72.The germs are subsequently separated from the fines and treated toremove the corn oil therefrom.

The coarser starch products and larger uncracked corn continue to beconveyed along'roll 23 toward the discharge end of the machine. Theteats 46 'on the periphery of roll sections 26 and 28 function primarilyto scour or polish the coarse products which then accumulate at thedischarge end. Similarly teats 47 on the opposed faces of roll section26 and end plate sections 62 and 64 polish the coarse tailstock productsas they are discharged'through end opening 66 into chute 74 at a ratecontrolled by the setting of valve 68.

The described invention overcomes the disadvantages of known priormachines and accomplishes the objects initially set forth by providing adegenninating roll in which the teats are arranged in helical rowsextending from end to end to positively feed the corn products towardthe discharge end as the products are being treated by the teats. Theperforated screen sections which substantially completely surround theteats 46 on the periphery of degerminating-roll portion 24 provide ahigh release area for the whole uncracked germs as soon as they areremoved from the cracked kernels.

Additionally, the high screen area enables any fines created to bequickly removed from the machine and prevents the machine from pluggingup and thereby becoming inoperative.

It has been determined that the circumferential angle 0: (FIGS. 7 and 8)through which each helical row of teats 46 extends around thedegerminating roll portion 24 as it passes from end to end thereofthroughout the length L of portion 24 is very important. For optimumperformance, the angle a should lie in the range of 50 to 60 per foot oflength of roll portion 24, Le. for every foot of length of degerminatingroll portion 24, the helix should extend through a circumferentialdistance of 50 to 60.

in an actual machine constructed according to the invention in which thelength L was about 37% inches, the angle a was found to lie in the rangeof to and for optimum performance, was about 168.

The angle a is significant in that it results in a proper rate of feedof the material through the machine to provide maximum operatingcapacity without plugging up the machine. If the angle a is below thelower limit, the feed rate through the machine is too slow and theoverall capacity is reduced. Similarly, if the angle is above the upperlimit, the feed rate through the machine is too fast, the material isnot properly treated, and the machine will tend to plug up.

In contrast to known prior machines such as that illustrated in theDempsey patent, the cracking of the corn is accomplished substantiallyentirely by the teats 46 on roll portion 24. There are no cooperatingteats on the surrounding casing as in prior machines, hence, thecracking and grinding action is less abrasive and produces a higheryield of coarse tailstock products and whole germs and reduces the yieldof fines or feed products. Also, because a lesser amount of germs arecracked, the fat content of the starch and feed products is desirablyreduced.

For example, in comparing operation of the above described actualmachine of the invention to that of a conventional machine which did nothave the teats on the degerminator roll arranged in helical rows or theperforated screen area substantially completely surrounding thedegerrninating-roll portion 24, substantial differences were found. Withboth machines operating at the same speed of 900 rpm. and the same powerinput of 75 hp and having the same screen size, the machine of theinvention provided an optimum capacity of about 250 bushels of corn perhour as compared to 80 bushels per hour obtained with the conventionalmachine. The machine of the invention also produced a 3- to 5- percentincrease in starch products per bushel over that of the conventionalmachine and reduced by 3- to 5- percent the feed products obtained perbushel. Similarly, using the same screen size, the invention producedabout 90 percent of the germs in a whole uncracked condition as comparedto only about 50 percent uncracked germ produced by the conventionalmachine. As a result, about l pound of oil per bushel was obtained byusing the machine of the invention as compared to about 0.7- pound oilper bushel obtained with the conventional machine. Stated another way,the higher yield of uncracked germs by the invention produced about 30percent more oil which is the most valuable product obtained from themilling operation. As a consequence of the higher production of wholeuncracked germs and increased oil yield, the starch and feed productsobtained from the machine of the invention had a lower fat content.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrativeand not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by theappended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent 1. Adegerminator for processing grain such as corn or the like comprising arotatable roll having an operable degerminating portion and a pluralityof teats on the periphery of said portion, said teats being arranged inhelical rows extending substantially throughout the length of saidportion, a casing surrounding said roll, said casing having inlet andoutlet ends and screen means positioned adjacent said teats, whereby thegrain fed into said casing is cracked by the teats as the roll rotatesand the larger tailstock products are conveyed by the helical rows ofteats to the outlet end while the finer thrustock products are passedthrough the screen means.

2. A degerminator as defined in claim 11, wherein said screen meansextends substantially throughout the length of said degerminatingportion of said roll in surrounding relation to said teats to provide alarge release area for said thrustock products.

3. A degerminator as defined in claim 1, wherein said teats are alignedin helical rows each of which passes through a circumferential anglearound said degerminating portion of about 50 to 60 per foot of lengthofsaid portion.

4. A degerminator as defined in claim 3, wherein said degerminatingportion is approximately 3 feet long and said circumferential angle isapproximately 168.

5. A degerminator as defined in claim 1, wherein said roll is formed bya plurality of separable roll sections each of which is replaceableindependently of the others.

6. A degerminator as defined in claim 1, wherein opposing end faces ofsaid casing and said roll at said outlet end have opposing teats whichcooperate to polish the tailstock products discharged from said casing.

7. A degerminator for processing grain such as corn or the likecomprising a frame, a roll rotatably mounted on said frame, said rollhaving an operable degerminating portion and a plurality of teats on theperiphery of said portion, said teats being arranged in helical rowsextending longitudinally substantially throughout the length of saidportion, a stationary casing mounted on said frame in surroundingrelationship with said roll, said casing having inlet and outlet endsand screen means which extends substantially throughout the length ofsaid portion in closely spaced relation to said teats, whereby the grainfed into said casing is cracked by said teats as said roll rotates andthe larger tailstock products are conveyed by the helical rows of teatsto the outlet end of said casing while the finer thrustock products arepassed through said screen means.

8. A degerminator as defined in claim 7, wherein said teats are alignedin helical rows each of which extends through a circumferential anglearound said degerminating portion of about 50 to 60 per foot of lengthof said portion.

9. A degerminator as defined in claim 7, wherein said roll is formed bya plurality of separable roll sections each of which is replaceableindependently of the others.

10. A degerminator as defined in claim 9, said roll section beingmounted on a shaft which is rotatably mounted on said frame, said casinghaving an end outlet opening above said shaft, and opposing end faces onsaid casing and the outlet end section of said roll having a pluralityof teats which cooperate to polish the tailstock products dischargedthrough said end outlet opening.

1. A degerminator for processing grain such as corn or the likecomprising a rotatable roll having an operable degerminating portion anda plurality of teats on the periphery of said portion, said teats beingarranged in helical rows extending substantially throughout the lengthof said portion, a casing surrounding said roll, said casing havinginlet and outlet ends and screen means positioned adjacent said teats,whereby the grain fed into said casing is cracked by the teats as theroll rotates and the larger tailstock products are conveyed by thehelical rows of teats to the outlet end while the finer thrustockproducts are passed through the screen means.
 2. A degerminator asdefined in claim 1, wherein said screen means extends substantiallythroughout the length of said degerminating portion of said roll insurrounding relation to said teats to provide a large release area forsaid thrustock products.
 3. A degerminator as defined in claim 1,wherein said teats are aligned in helical rows each of which passesthrough a circumferential angle around said degerminating portion ofabout 50* to 60* per foot of length of said portion.
 4. A degerminatoras defined in claim 3, wherein said degerminating portion isapproximately 3 feet long and said circumferential angle isapproximately 168*.
 5. A degerminator as defined in claim 1, whereinsaid roll is formed by a plurality of separable roll sections each ofwhich is replaceable independently of the others.
 6. A degerminator asdefined in claim 1, wherein opposing end faces of said casing and saidroll at said outlet end have opposing teats which cooperate to polishthe tailstock products discharged from said casing.
 7. A degerminatorfor processing grain such as corn or the like comprising a frame, a rollrotatably mounted on said frame, said roll having an operabledegerminating portion and a plurality of teats on the periphery of saidportion, said teats being arranged in helical rows extendinglongitudinally substantially throughout the length of said portion, astationary casing mounted on said frame in surrounding relationship withsaid roll, said casing having inlet and outlet ends and screen meanswhich extends substantially throughout the length of said portion inclosely spaced relation to said teats, whereby the grain fed into saidcasing is cracked by said teats as said roll rotates and the largertailstock products are conveyed by the helical rows of teats to theoutlet end of said casing while the finer thrustock products are passedthrough said screen means.
 8. A degerminator as defined in claim 7,wherein said teats are aligned in helical rows each of which extendsthrough a circumferential angle around said degerminating portion ofabout 50* to 60* per foot of length of said portion.
 9. A degerminatoras defined in claim 7, wherein said roll is formed by a plurality ofseparable roll sections each of which is replaceable independently ofthe others.
 10. A degerminator as defined in claim 9, said roll sectionbeing mounted on a shaft which is rotatably mounted on said frame, saidcasing having an end outlet opening above said shaft, and opposing endfaces on said casing and the outlet end section of said roll having aplurality of teats which cooperate to polish the tailstock productsdischarged through said end outlet opening.